Bonded (14 page)

A long empty table
occupied the front of the room. Soon it would have members of the
Council of Elders seated at it; a group of elderly Alphas whose
grey hair and lined faces provided visible signs of the years of
experience each brought to the job. To be on such a council was a
great honour. Only past Alphas who had abdicated their position of
pack leader due to advancing age were considered for the position
and they had to have displayed exemplary leadership throughout
their years of service.

Shifting his gaze,
Reno noted some of those seated on the far side of the room. His
team filled the first two rows of chairs. They were awaiting the
verdict as well, though Ricardo had assured them the most they’d
face was a reprimand placed in their files. Still, it had to be
nerve-wracking for some of them. With an experienced eye, Reno
assessed each man looking for signs of unusually high anxiety or
tension. His men were usually solid, both mentally and physically,
but these weren’t normal circumstances for them. Thankfully, each
appeared relatively calm.

Reno made eye
contact with Damien and the younger man pulled a face showing he
found the whole process boring in the extreme. While inwardly he
concurred, Reno frowned at his partner though it did little good.
With typical irreverence, Damien flipped him the finger before
grinning and turning towards the cute brunette seated behind him.
With benevolent exasperation Reno watched the kid using his charm
on the young female. No doubt before the day was done, Damien would
be dating her.

Shaking his head,
Reno checked out the rest of those gathered. Captain Fielding, his
immediate superior, was there along with a number of other Lycan
Link employees who’d gathered to offer moral support. Near the
back, a few reporters and curious members of the general Lycan
public filled some of the seats. And, of course, Brandi Johansson
had to be there. She was sitting very straight in her chair, her
eyes firmly fixed on the door that the Council would enter
through.

He took in her
appearance, the way her curls were restrained in a knot at her
nape, and the grey tweed business suit that did little to disguise
her curves. She seemed pale, dark shadows smudged under her eyes as
if she’d been sleeping poorly. Reno narrowed his gaze noting the
way she twisted her fingers in her lap and the nervous tapping of
her foot against the leg of her chair.

What was she so
tied up in knots about? He was the one who might lose his job,
perhaps even be thrown in detention if they decided his wolf was
becoming unmanageable! A growl escaped him as he thought of all the
questions the Lycan Link psychologist had asked him in the
mandatory sessions he’d attended. Thankfully the man hadn’t ordered
him to be locked up—yet—and he’d been allowed to roam freely as
long as he stayed within the Lycan Link compound.

A sound from the
front of the room drew his attention and he turned to see the
Council filing in from their consulting chambers. The quiet hum
that had filled the room for the past half hour quickly disappeared
as everyone fixed their eyes on the Council.

Reno eyed each
member, careful to keep his gaze mildly curious and not challenging
in case one should look his way. For all that he might scoff at
Ricardo’s advice, only a fool pissed off an entire table of Alphas.
Their expressions gave nothing away and he bit back a curse,
shifting yet again in his seat.

The designated
Speaker cleared his throat and stood, a sheaf of papers in his
hand.

“Good afternoon,
ladies and gentlemen. I apologize for the delay but this was a
complex case and we had some difficulty reaching a consensus on
appropriate consequences and recommendations. However, we have
reviewed the evidence presented: the eye-witness accounts, the
reports of those involved, the video footage taken after the fact,
and the victim impact statements. As I said, this was a complex
situation given the number of Lycans—both full and half-breed—that
were involved, the tender ages of some of the parties, and the
emotional factors that came into play.”

He scanned the
room, then flipped a page and began to read. “The events at
Langstaff were regrettable and preventable. Had proper procedures
been in place the loss of life could have been prevented. To this
end, we are establishing a committee to form the Langstaff
Protocols, a set of rules and policies that shall be followed
whenever...”

Reno gave a small
nod as he listened, pleased that something positive might come out
of the debacle. He wondered if he’d be allowed any input; given the
fact that he’d replayed the case a thousand times in his mind, he
felt he was more than qualified to offer some suggestions...

The man paused,
adjusted his glasses and then looked directly at Reno. “Mr. Smith,
will you please stand.”

Reno slowly got to
his feet. This was it. The room was silent save the faint scraping
of chair legs as his seat slid backwards. He clasped his hands
behind him, standing straight with his shoulders back. Following
Ricardo’s instructions, he kept his expression as bland as
possible; however he couldn’t stop himself from looking each Alpha
directly in the eye. If he was going down, he wouldn’t cower before
those sentencing him.

“Mr. Smith. We’re
curious. Do you have any regret for your actions at Langstaff?”

Was this a trick
question? Did his fate rest on his answer? He gave a mental shrug
and replied honestly. “Only one, sir. That I didn’t do an initial
check to ensure all the mixed families and halves were accounted
for. My negligence resulted in the death of a wolf and the serious
injury of his pup.”

“The death of one
wolf?” One of the seated Elders quirked a brow. “There were several
killed at Langstaff, at least one by your own hand.”

Reno compressed
his lips but gave a quick nod. “I stand corrected.” He wanted to
add that the Alpha he’d killed didn’t deserve the title of wolf,
but Ricardo’s timely kick to Reno’s shin served as a reminder to
watch his mouth. Somehow the man must have sensed his client’s
thoughts.

“Humph!” Whether
his answer impressed the Elder or not, Reno had no idea, however
several of the Alphas leaned together to exchange private
comments.

“Do you have
anything else to add?” The Speaker looked Reno’s way.

“No, sir.”

“All right, then.
We, the Council of Elders, find you guilty of misconduct.”

A murmur spread
through the room, several chairs were shuffled and a female gasped
softly. Reno was sure it sounded like Brandi yet didn’t turn to
look. A curl of nervous tension was growing in his gut. He kept his
eyes fixed on the Speaker wondering what his punishment might be.
His wolf stirred anxiously as well, not totally understanding the
proceedings but sensing possible danger.

The Speaker waited
for the noise in the room to die down before continuing. “Your team
is exonerated from any wrong doing. While they each claimed to be
acting independently, you were in charge and thus must bear the
brunt of responsibility. However, a letter of reprimand will be
placed in each of their files.”

Reno nodded,
feeling some relief that his men would be left alone. A letter of
reprimand was nothing. He’d collected his fair share over the past
few years. The ACS could continue the fight against the Purists
without him. He’d trained them well. Damien showed potential as a
leader for the group but was too new to the team to be promoted.
Perhaps Garret... The sound of Brandi’s name being spoken jerked
his attention back to the Speaker for the Council.

“It is our belief
that Brandi Johansson and Allan Zimmerman were instrumental in
containing this situation. For their exemplary work, a certificate
of recognition will be awarded and noted in their files.” The
Speaker paused and smiled towards Brandi. “As well, an extended
weekend shall be granted
with
pay due to the amount of
overtime you were required to perform. Please make arrangements
with your supervising officer so that this does not negatively
impact the schedules of your coworkers.”

“Thank you, sir.”
Brandi’s voice—barely a whisper—sounded strained and was almost
drowned out by Al’s enthusiastic response.

“This brings us
back to the matter of dealing with you, Mr. Smith.” The Speaker
stared at Reno for a long moment before continuing. “Your actions
endangered us all. You responded irresponsibly and emotionally,
with no forethought as to the possible repercussions. An Enforcer
who allows his wolf to take over has no place within this
organization.”

Each word was like
a nail being pounded into Reno’s coffin. He forced himself to stand
straighter. Here it comes, he thought to himself. I’m about to be
kicked out of the only place that’s ever seemed like home, the only
place that’s ever accepted me. A wave of regret washed over him yet
he knew, given the same circumstances, he’d do it all again.

“Your record is
riddled with accounts of infractions, rules that were ignored or
bent, reports that you failed to complete or fudged. In short, Mr.
Smith, you are what is known as a reckless pain in the ass and we
should be throwing the proverbial book at you.”

Another long pause
followed as if the Speaker was waiting for the meaning of his words
to sink in.

Yeah, I’ve fouled
up a few times, Reno thought to himself. Why go over it again and
again? If you’re going to have my head on a platter, then just get
on with it.

The Speaker sighed
and rattled the papers in his hand. “However, there is the
irrefutable fact that despite your record you have somehow managed
to be of great service to Lycan Link. The number of successful
rescues of half-breeds and their families that you’ve led is
impressive. And in my hand, I have a number of letters from some of
those you helped relocate. Amazingly enough, they all bury you with
praise.” He stared down at the pages in his hand, a frown evident
on his face as if he couldn’t believe what was right before his
eyes. He gave his head a shake before continuing. “Given these
facts, we feel we need to keep you in your present position as an
Enforcer with the ACS. Eliminating you would punish those already
being persecuted by removing one of their few hopes for
rescue.”

Relief washed over
Reno while small sounds of happiness rippled across the room. He
wasn’t headed to detention or being kicked out of Lycan Link. A
smile began to curve the corner of his lips.

“But...before you
begin to feel too pleased with yourself, there will be consequences
applied as well as some safe-guards to ensure we don’t have a
repeat of the Langstaff incident. First off, you will be docked a
month’s pay for your actions and yet another black mark will be
placed in your file. One more and you will be gone, Mr. Smith,
regardless of your effectiveness. Is that clear?”

The man arched his
brows and gave Reno a hard stare.

“Yes, sir.” Reno
nodded. “I’ll try to toe the line.”

“You’ll do more
than try. You
will
undergo extensive training in negotiation
skills. You
will
reread the manual outlining proper
procedures and be quizzed on the content. Your paperwork
will
be checked on a monthly basis and it
will
be
properly completed and submitted on time. As well, you...”

The man droned on
however Reno was no longer listening. He’d read it over when he got
a copy of the final decision from Ricardo. Right now he was too
pleased about keeping his job to care about all the paperwork
bullshit they wanted him to do. Damn, he’d been worried—not that
he’d admit it to anyone, of course. Thank heaven no one knew what
was really going on in his head; the nightmares, the
self-condemnation...

People began to
stand. The Speaker had obviously finished and Reno had missed his
final words. He gave a shrug and began to accept the handshakes and
congratulatory backslaps from colleagues.

“We knew you’d
beat this, Reno.”

“You can’t keep a
good wolf down.”

“Way to go,
man.”

The conversation
swirled around him but over it all he was acutely aware of the
silence coming from one corner of the room. He glanced over the
heads of those surrounding him and saw Brandi standing near the
door. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her waist and she was
staring directly at him.

Their gazes
locked. She opened her mouth and he sensed she wanted to say
something to him. She even took half a step his way then paused
looking nervous.

“It was touch and
go for a while, wasn’t it, Reno?” Someone was talking to him
however he barely glanced at the individual. “Some of those reports
were really damning. Johansson really did a number on you, the
bitch.”

Before he even
realized what he was doing, Reno had the individual by the collar
and was giving him a warning shake.

“Watch your
language, buddy.” He growled the words, his tone low and
menacing.

“Mr Smith!”
Ricardo grabbed his arm while looking nervously about. “We haven’t
even left the hearing yet and you’re already in danger of breaking
the conditions the Speaker outlined!”

“Oh. Yeah.” Reno
let go of the man—he still wasn’t sure who the idiot was—and
watched as the vermin scurried away. Glancing back to where Brandi
had been standing, he saw that she’d left. He rubbed the back of
his neck feeling oddly unsettled at her absence which was just
damned ridiculous. He had nothing to say to her. They were like oil
and water and it was best if they stayed far apart.

Brandi stood in a
quiet corridor not far from the hearing room. She was leaning
against the wall, her hands pressed to her pounding heart. Reno was
going to be okay. Her worst fear hadn’t come true; he wasn’t being
sent to detention. He’d never survive in such a restrictive
atmosphere. His wolf would rebel or his spirit would be broken. And
if her report had contributed to such a sentence... She compressed
her lips and shook her head knowing she couldn’t have lived with
that knowledge.